Thispurelovehas，however，beenmuchaidedbytheambitiontobeesteemedbymyfellownaturalists。FrommyearlyyouthIhavehadthestrongestdesiretounderstandorexplainwhateverIobserved，——thatis，togroupallfactsundersomegenerallaws。Thesecausescombinedhavegivenmethepatiencetoreflectorponderforanynumberofyearsoveranyunexplainedproblem。AsfarasIcanjudge，Iamnotapttofollowblindlytheleadofothermen。Ihavesteadilyendeavouredtokeepmymindfreesoastogiveupanyhypothesis，howevermuchbeloved（andIcannotresistformingoneoneverysubject），assoonasfactsareshowntobeopposedtoit。Indeed，I
havehadnochoicebuttoactinthismanner，forwiththeexceptionoftheCoralReefs，Icannotrememberasinglefirst—formedhypothesiswhichhadnotafteratimetobegivenuporgreatlymodified。Thishasnaturallyledmetodistrustgreatlydeductivereasoninginthemixedsciences。Ontheotherhand，Iamnotverysceptical，——aframeofmindwhichIbelievetobeinjurioustotheprogressofscience。Agooddealofscepticisminascientificmanisadvisabletoavoidmuchlossoftime，butIhavemetwithnotafewmen，who，Ifeelsure，haveoftenthusbeendeterredfromexperimentorobservations，whichwouldhaveproveddirectlyorindirectlyserviceable。
Inillustration，IwillgivetheoddestcasewhichIhaveknown。A
gentleman（who，asIafterwardsheard，isagoodlocalbotanist）wrotetomefromtheEasterncountiesthattheseedorbeansofthecommonfield—
beanhadthisyeareverywheregrownonthewrongsideofthepod。Iwroteback，askingforfurtherinformation，asIdidnotunderstandwhatwasmeant;butIdidnotreceiveanyanswerforaverylongtime。Ithensawintwonewspapers，onepublishedinKentandtheotherinYorkshire，paragraphsstatingthatitwasamostremarkablefactthat"thebeansthisyearhadallgrownonthewrongside。"SoIthoughttheremustbesomefoundationforsogeneralastatement。Accordingly，Iwenttomygardener，anoldKentishman，andaskedhimwhetherhehadheardanythingaboutit，andheanswered，"Oh，no，sir，itmustbeamistake，forthebeansgrowonthewrongsideonlyonleap—year，andthisisnotleap—year。"Ithenaskedhimhowtheygrewincommonyearsandhowonleap—years，butsoonfoundthatheknewabsolutelynothingofhowtheygrewatanytime，buthestucktohisbelief。
AfteratimeIheardfrommyfirstinformant，who，withmanyapologies，saidthatheshouldnothavewrittentomehadhenotheardthestatementfromseveralintelligentfarmers;butthathehadsincespokenagaintoeveryoneofthem，andnotoneknewintheleastwhathehadhimselfmeant。
Sothathereabelief——ifindeedastatementwithnodefiniteideaattachedtoitcanbecalledabelief——hadspreadoveralmostthewholeofEnglandwithoutanyvestigeofevidence。
Ihaveknowninthecourseofmylifeonlythreeintentionallyfalsifiedstatements，andoneofthesemayhavebeenahoax（andtherehavebeenseveralscientifichoaxes）which，however，tookinanAmericanAgriculturalJournal。ItrelatedtotheformationinHollandofanewbreedofoxenbythecrossingofdistinctspeciesofBos（someofwhichIhappentoknowaresteriletogether），andtheauthorhadtheimpudencetostatethathehadcorrespondedwithme，andthatIhadbeendeeplyimpressedwiththeimportanceofhisresult。ThearticlewassenttomebytheeditorofanEnglishAgriculturalJournal，askingformyopinionbeforerepublishingit。
Asecondcasewasanaccountofseveralvarieties，raisedbytheauthorfromseveralspeciesofPrimula，whichhadspontaneouslyyieldedafullcomplementofseed，althoughtheparentplantshadbeencarefullyprotectedfromtheaccessofinsects。ThisaccountwaspublishedbeforeIhaddiscoveredthemeaningofheterostylism，andthewholestatementmusthavebeenfraudulent，ortherewasneglectinexcludinginsectssogrossastobescarcelycredible。
Thethirdcasewasmorecurious:Mr。Huthpublishedinhisbookon’ConsanguineousMarriage’somelongextractsfromaBelgianauthor，whostatedthathehadinterbredrabbitsintheclosestmannerforverymanygenerations，withouttheleastinjuriouseffects。TheaccountwaspublishedinamostrespectableJournal，thatoftheRoyalSocietyofBelgium;butIcouldnotavoidfeelingdoubts——Ihardlyknowwhy，exceptthattherewerenoaccidentsofanykind，andmyexperienceinbreedinganimalsmademethinkthisveryimprobable。
SowithmuchhesitationIwrotetoProfessorVanBeneden，askinghimwhethertheauthorwasatrustworthyman。IsoonheardinanswerthattheSocietyhadbeengreatlyshockedbydiscoveringthatthewholeaccountwasafraud。（ThefalsenessofthepublishedstatementsonwhichMr。Huthreliedhasbeenpointedoutbyhimselfinaslipinsertedinallthecopiesofhisbookwhichthenremainedunsold。）ThewriterhadbeenpubliclychallengedintheJournaltosaywherehehadresidedandkepthislargestockofrabbitswhilecarryingonhisexperiments，whichmusthaveconsumedseveralyears，andnoanswercouldbeextractedfromhim。
Myhabitsaremethodical，andthishasbeenofnotalittleuseformyparticularlineofwork。Lastly，Ihavehadampleleisurefromnothavingtoearnmyownbread。Evenill—health，thoughithasannihilatedseveralyearsofmylife，hassavedmefromthedistractionsofsocietyandamusement。
Thereforemysuccessasamanofscience，whateverthismayhaveamountedto，hasbeendetermined，asfarasIcanjudge，bycomplexanddiversifiedmentalqualitiesandconditions。Ofthese，themostimportanthavebeen——
theloveofscience——unboundedpatienceinlongreflectingoveranysubject——industryinobservingandcollectingfacts——andafairshareofinventionaswellasofcommonsense。WithsuchmoderateabilitiesasI
possess，itistrulysurprisingthatIshouldhaveinfluencedtoaconsiderableextentthebeliefofscientificmenonsomeimportantpoints。
CHAPTER1。III。
REMINISCENCESOFMYFATHER’SEVERYDAYLIFE。
Itismywishinthepresentchaptertogivesomeideaofmyfather’severydaylife。IthasseemedtomethatImightcarryoutthisobjectintheformofaroughsketchofaday’slifeatDown，interspersedwithsuchrecollectionsasarecalledupbytherecord。Manyoftheserecollections，whichhaveameaningforthosewhoknewmyfather，willseemcolourlessortriflingtostrangers。Nevertheless，Igivetheminthehopethattheymayhelptopreservethatimpressionofhispersonalitywhichremainsonthemindsofthosewhoknewandlovedhim——animpressionatoncesovividandsountranslatableintowords。
Ofhispersonalappearance（inthesedaysofmultipliedphotographs）itishardlynecessarytosaymuch。Hewasaboutsixfeetinheight，butscarcelylookedsotall，ashestoopedagooddeal;inlaterdaysheyieldedtothestoop;butIcanrememberseeinghimlongagoswinginghisarmsbacktoopenouthischest，andholdinghimselfuprightwithajerk。
Hegaveonetheideathathehadbeenactiveratherthanstrong;hisshoulderswerenotbroadforhisheight，thoughcertainlynotnarrow。Asayoungmanhemusthavehadmuchendurance，forononeoftheshoreexcursionsfromthe"Beagle"，whenallweresufferingfromwantofwater，hewasoneofthetwowhowerebetterablethantheresttostruggleoninsearchofit。Asaboyhewasactive，andcouldjumpabarplacedattheheightofthe"Adam’sapple"inhisneck。
Hewalkedwithaswingingaction，usingastickheavilyshodwithiron，whichhestruckloudlyagainsttheground，producingashewentroundthe"Sand—walk"atDown，arhythmicalclickwhichiswithallofusaverydistinctremembrance。Ashereturnedfromthemiddaywalk，oftencarryingthewaterprooforcloakwhichhadprovedtoohot，onecouldseethattheswingingstepwaskeptupbysomethingofaneffort。Indoorshisstepwasoftenslowandlaboured，andashewentupstairsintheafternoonhemightbeheardmountingthestairswithaheavyfootfall，asifeachstepwereaneffort。Wheninterestedinhisworkhemovedaboutquicklyandeasilyenough，andofteninthemiddleofdictatinghewenteagerlyintothehalltogetapinchofsnuff，leavingthestudydooropen，andcallingoutthelastwordsofhissentenceashewent。Indoorshesometimesusedanoaksticklikealittlealpenstock，andthiswasasignthathefeltgiddiness。
Inspiteofhisstrengthandactivity，Ithinkhemustalwayshavehadaclumsinessofmovement。Hewasnaturallyawkwardwithhishands，andwasunabletodrawatallwell。（Thefigurerepresentingtheaggregatedcell—
contentsin’InsectivorousPlants’wasdrawnbyhim。）Thishealwaysregrettedmuch，andhefrequentlyurgedtheparamountnecessityofayoungnaturalistmakinghimselfagooddraughtsman。
Hecoulddissectwellunderthesimplemicroscope，butIthinkitwasbydintofhisgreatpatienceandcarefulness。Itwascharacteristicofhimthathethoughtmanylittlebitsofskilfuldissectionsomethingalmostsuperhuman。HeusedtospeakwithadmirationoftheskillwithwhichhesawNewportdissectahumblebee，gettingoutthenervoussystemwithafewcutsofafinepairofscissors，held，asmyfatherusedtoshow，withtheelbowraised，andinanattitudewhichcertainlywouldrendergreatsteadinessnecessary。Heusedtoconsidercuttingsectionsagreatfeat，andinthelastyearofhislife，withwonderfulenergy，tookthepainstolearntocutsectionsofrootsandleaves。Hishandwasnotsteadyenoughtoholdtheobjecttobecut，andheemployedacommonmicrotome，inwhichthepithforholdingtheobjectwasclamped，andtherazorslidonaglasssurfaceinmakingthesections。Heusedtolaughathimself，andathisownskillinsection—cutting，atwhichhewouldsayhewas"speechlesswithadmiration。"Ontheotherhand，hemusthavehadaccuracyofeyeandpowerofco—ordinatinghismovements，sincehewasagoodshotwithagunasayoungman，andasaboywasskilfulinthrowing。Heoncekilledaharesittingintheflower—gardenatShrewsburybythrowingamarbleatit，and，asaman，heoncekilledacross—beakwithastone。Hewassounhappyathavinguselesslykilledthecross—beakthathedidnotmentionitforyears，andthenexplainedthatheshouldneverhavethrownatitifhehadnotfeltsurethathisoldskillhadgonefromhim。
Whenwalkinghehadafidgettingmovementwithhisfingers，whichhehasdescribedinoneofhisbooksasthehabitofanoldman。Whenhesatstillheoftentookholdofonewristwiththeotherhand;hesatwithhislegscrossed，andfrombeingsothintheycouldbecrossedveryfar，asmaybeseeninoneofthephotographs。Hehadhischairinthestudyandinthedrawing—roomraisedsoastobemuchhigherthanordinarychairs;thiswasdonebecausesittingonaloworevenanordinarychaircausedhimsomediscomfort。Weusedtolaughathimformakinghistalldrawing—roomchairstillhigherbyputtingfootstoolsonit，andthenneutralisingtheresultbyrestinghisfeetonanotherchair。
Hisbeardwasfullandalmostuntrimmed，thehairbeinggreyandwhite，fineratherthancoarse，andwavyorfrizzled。Hismoustachewassomewhatdisfiguredbybeingcutshortandsquareacross。Hebecameverybald，havingonlyafringeofdarkhairbehind。
Hisfacewasruddyincolour，andthisperhapsmadepeoplethinkhimlessofaninvalidthanhewas。HewrotetoDr。Hooker（June13，1849），"EveryonetellsmethatIlookquitebloomingandbeautiful;andmostthinkIamshamming，butyouhaveneverbeenoneofthose。"Anditmustberememberedthatatthistimehewasmiserablyill，farworsethaninlateryears。Hiseyeswerebluishgreyunderdeepoverhangingbrows，withthickbushyprojectingeyebrows。Hishighforeheadwasmuchwrinkled，butotherwisehisfacewasnotmuchmarkedorlined。Hisexpressionshowednosignsofthecontinualdiscomforthesuffered。
Whenhewasexcitedwithpleasanttalkhiswholemannerwaswonderfullybrightandanimated，andhisfacesharedtothefullinthegeneralanimation。Hislaughwasafreeandsoundingpeal，likethatofamanwhogiveshimselfsympatheticallyandwithenjoymenttothepersonandthethingwhichhaveamusedhim。Heoftenusedsomesortofgesturewithhislaugh，liftinguphishandsorbringingonedownwithaslap。Ithink，generallyspeaking，hewasgiventogesture，andoftenusedhishandsinexplaininganything（e。g。thefertilisationofaflower）inawaythatseemedratheranaidtohimselfthantothelistener。Hedidthisonoccasionswhenmostpeoplewouldillustratetheirexplanationsbymeansofaroughpencilsketch。
Heworedarkclothes，ofalooseandeasyfit。OflateyearshegaveupthetallhateveninLondon，andworeasoftblackoneinwinter，andabigstrawhatinsummer。Hisusualout—of—doorsdresswastheshortcloakinwhichElliotandFry’sphotographrepresentshimleaningagainstthepillaroftheverandah。Twopeculiaritiesofhisindoordresswerethathealmostalwaysworeashawloverhisshoulders，andthathehadgreatlooseclothbootslinedwithfurwhichhecouldsliponoverhisindoorshoes。Likemostdelicatepeoplehesufferedfromheataswellasfromchilliness;itwasasifhecouldnothitthebalancebetweentoohotandtoocold;oftenamentalcausewouldmakehimtoohot，sothathewouldtakeoffhiscoatifanythingwentwronginthecourseofhiswork。
Heroseearly，chieflybecausehecouldnotlieinbed，andIthinkhewouldhavelikedtogetupearlierthanhedid。Hetookashortturnbeforebreakfast，ahabitwhichbeganwhenhewentforthefirsttimetoawater—cureestablishment。Thishabithekeptuptillalmosttheendofhislife。Iused，asalittleboy，tolikegoingoutwithhim，andIhaveavaguesenseoftheredofthewintersunrise，andarecollectionofthepleasantcompanionship，andacertainhonourandgloryinit。Heusedtodelightmeasaboybytellingmehow，instillearlierwalks，ondarkwintermornings，hehadonceortwicemetfoxestrottinghomeatthedawning。
Afterbreakfastingaloneabout7。45，hewenttoworkatonce，consideringthe11/2hourbetween8and9。30oneofhisbestworkingtimes。At9。30
hecameintothedrawing—roomforhisletters——rejoicingifthepostwasalightoneandbeingsometimesmuchworriedifitwasnot。Hewouldthenhearanyfamilylettersreadaloudashelayonthesofa。
Thereadingaloud，whichalsoincludedpartofanovel，lastedtillabouthalf—pastten，whenhewentbacktoworktilltwelveoraquarterpast。Bythistimeheconsideredhisday’sworkover，andwouldoftensay，inasatisfiedvoice，"I’VEdoneagoodday’swork。"Hethenwentoutofdoorswhetheritwaswetorfine;Polly，hiswhiteterrier，wentwithhiminfairweather，butinrainsherefusedormightbeseenhesitatingintheverandah，withamixedexpressionofdisgustandshameatherownwantofcourage;generally，however，herconsciencecarriedtheday，andassoonashewasevidentlygoneshecouldnotbeartostaybehind。
Myfatherwasalwaysfondofdogs，andasayoungmanhadthepowerofstealingawaytheaffectionsofhissister’spets;atCambridge，hewontheloveofhiscousinW。D。Fox’sdog，andthismayperhapshavebeenthelittlebeastwhichusedtocreepdowninsidehisbedandsleepatthefooteverynight。Myfatherhadasurlydog，whowasdevotedtohim，butunfriendlytoeveryoneelse，andwhenhecamebackfromthe"Beagle"
voyage，thedogrememberedhim，butinacuriousway，whichmyfatherwasfondoftelling。Hewentintotheyardandshoutedinhisoldmanner;thedogrushedoutandsetoffwithhimonhiswalk，showingnomoreemotionorexcitementthanifthesamethinghadhappenedthedaybefore，insteadoffiveyearsago。Thisstoryismadeuseofinthe’DescentofMan，’2ndEdition，page74。
Inmymemorytherewereonlytwodogswhichhadmuchconnectionwithmyfather。Onewasalargeblackandwhitehalf—bredretriever，calledBob，towhichwe，aschildren，weremuchdevoted。Hewasthedogofwhomthestoryofthe"hot—houseface"istoldinthe’ExpressionoftheEmotions。’
Butthedogmostcloselyassociatedwithmyfatherwastheabove—mentionedPolly，arough，whitefox—terrier。Shewasasharp—witted，affectionatedog;whenhermasterwasgoingawayonajourney，shealwaysdiscoveredthefactbythesignsofpackinggoingoninthestudy，andbecamelow—spiritedaccordingly。Shebegan，too，tobeexcitedbyseeingthestudypreparedforhisreturnhome。Shewasacunninglittlecreature，andusedtotrembleorputonanairofmiserywhenmyfatherpassed，whileshewaswaitingfordinner，justasifsheknewthathewouldsay（ashedidoftensay）that"shewasfamishing。"Myfatherusedtomakehercatchbiscuitsoffhernose，andhadanaffectionateandmock—solemnwayofexplainingtoherbefore—handthatshemust"beaverygoodgirl。"Shehadamarkonherbackwhereshehadbeenburnt，andwherethehairhadre—grownredinsteadofwhite，andmyfatherusedtocommendherforthistuftofhairasbeinginaccordancewithhistheoryofpangenesis;herfatherhadbeenaredbull—terrier，thustheredhairappearingaftertheburnshowedthepresenceoflatentredgemmules。HewasdelightfullytendertoPolly，andnevershowedanyimpatienceattheattentionssherequired，suchastobeletinatthedoor，oroutattheverandahwindow，tobarkat"naughtypeople，"aself—imposeddutyshemuchenjoyed。Shedied，orratherhadtobekilled，afewdaysafterhisdeath。（ThebasketinwhichsheusuallylaycurledupnearthefireinhisstudyisfaithfullyrepresentedinMr。
Parson’sdrawing，"TheStudyatDown。"）
Myfather’smiddaywalkgenerallybeganbyacallatthegreenhouse，wherehelookedatanygerminatingseedsorexperimentalplantswhichrequiredacasualexamination，buthehardlyeverdidanyseriousobservingatthistime。Thenhewentonforhisconstitutional——eitherroundthe"Sand—
walk，"oroutsidehisowngroundsintheimmediateneighbourhoodofthehouse。The"Sand—walk"wasanarrowstripofland11/2acresinextent，withagravel—walkroundit。Ononesideofitwasabroadoldshawwithfair—sizedoaksinit，whichmadeashelteredshadywalk;theothersidewasseparatedfromaneighbouringgrassfieldbyalowquicksethedge，overwhichyoucouldlookatwhatviewtherewas，aquietlittlevalleylosingitselfintheuplandcountrytowardstheedgeoftheWesterhamhill，withhazelcoppiceandlarchwood，theremnantsofwhatwasoncealargewood，stretchingawaytotheWesterhamroad。IhaveheardmyfathersaythatthecharmofthissimplelittlevalleyhelpedtomakehimsettleatDown。
TheSand—walkwasplantedbymyfatherwithavarietyoftrees，suchashazel，alder，lime，hornbeam，birch，privet，anddogwood，andwithalonglineofholliesalldowntheexposedside。Inearliertimeshetookacertainnumberofturnseveryday，andusedtocountthembymeansofaheapofflints，oneofwhichhekickedoutonthepatheachtimehepassed。
OflateyearsIthinkhedidnotkeeptoanyfixednumberofturns，buttookasmanyashefeltstrengthfor。TheSand—walkwasourplay—groundaschildren，andherewecontinuallysawmyfatherashewalkedround。Helikedtoseewhatweweredoing，andwaseverreadytosympathizeinanyfunthatwasgoingon。Itiscurioustothinkhow，withregardtotheSand—walkinconnectionwithmyfather，myearliestrecollectionscoincidewithmylatest;itshowshowunvaryinghishabitshavebeen。
Sometimeswhenalonehestoodstillorwalkedstealthilytoobservebirdsorbeasts。Itwasononeoftheseoccasionsthatsomeyoungsquirrelsranuphisbackandlegs，whiletheirmotherbarkedattheminanagonyfromthetree。Healwaysfoundbirds’nestsevenuptothelastyearsofhislife，andwe，aschildren，consideredthathehadaspecialgeniusinthisdirection。Inhisquietprowlshecameacrossthelesscommonbirds，butI
fancyheusedtoconcealitfromme，asalittleboy，becauseheobservedtheagonyofmindwhichIenduredatnothavingseenthesiskinorgoldfinch，orwhateveritmighthavebeen。Heusedtotellushow，whenhewascreepingnoiselesslyalonginthe"Big—Woods，"hecameuponafoxasleepinthedaytime，whichwassomuchastonishedthatittookagoodstareathimbeforeitranoff。ASpitzdogwhichaccompaniedhimshowednosignofexcitementatthefox，andheusedtoendthestorybywonderinghowthedogcouldhavebeensofaint—hearted。
Anotherfavouriteplacewas"OrchisBank，"abovethequietCudhamvalley，wherefly—andmusk—orchisgrewamongthejunipers，andCephalantheraandNeottiaunderthebeechboughs;thelittlewood"Hangrove，"justabovethis，hewasalsofondof，andhereIrememberhiscollectinggrasses，whenhetookafancytomakeoutthenamesofallthecommonkinds。Hewasfondofquotingthesayingofoneofhislittleboys，who，havingfoundagrassthathisfatherhadnotseenbefore，haditlaidbyhisownplateduringdinner，remarking，"Iareanextraordinarygrass—finder！"
Myfathermuchenjoyedwanderingslowlyinthegardenwithmymotherorsomeofhischildren，ormakingoneofaparty，sittingoutonabenchonthelawn;hegenerallysat，however，onthegrass，andIrememberhimoftenlyingunderoneofthebiglime—trees，withhisheadonthegreenmoundatitsfoot。Indrysummerweather，whenweoftensatout，thebigfly—wheelofthewellwascommonlyheardspinninground，andsothesoundbecameassociatedwiththosepleasantdays。Heusedtoliketowatchusplayingatlawn—tennis，andoftenknockedupastrayballforuswiththecurvedhandleofhisstick。
Thoughhetooknopersonalshareinthemanagementofthegarden，hehadgreatdelightinthebeautyofflowers——forinstance，inthemassofAzaleaswhichgenerallystoodinthedrawing—room。Ithinkhesometimesfusedtogetherhisadmirationofthestructureofaflowerandofitsintrinsicbeauty;forinstance，inthecaseofthebigpendulouspinkandwhiteflowersofDielytra。Inthesamewayhehadanaffection，half—
artistic，half—botanical，forthelittleblueLobelia。Inadmiringflowers，hewouldoftenlaughatthedingyhigh—artcolours，andcontrastthemwiththebrighttintsofnature。Iusedtoliketohearhimadmirethebeautyofaflower;itwasakindofgratitudetothefloweritself，andapersonalloveforitsdelicateformandcolour。Iseemtorememberhimgentlytouchingaflowerhedelightedin;itwasthesamesimpleadmirationthatachildmighthave。
Hecouldnothelppersonifyingnaturalthings。Thisfeelingcameoutinabuseaswellasinpraise——e。g。ofsomeseedlings——"ThelittlebeggarsaredoingjustwhatIdon’twantthemto。"Hewouldspeakinahalf—provoked，half—admiringwayoftheingenuityofaMimosaleafinscrewingitselfoutofabasinofwaterinwhichhehadtriedtofixit。OnemustseethesamespiritinhiswayofspeakingofSundew，earth—worms，etc。（Cf。LeslieStephen’s’Swift，’1882，page200，whereSwift’sinspectionofthemannersandcustomsofservantsarecomparedtomyfather’sobservationsonworms，"Thedifferenceis，"saysMr。Stephen，"thatDarwinhadnonebutkindlyfeelingsforworms。"）
Withinmymemory，hisonlyoutdoorrecreation，besideswalking，wasriding，whichhetooktoontherecommendationofDr。BenceJones，andwehadthelucktofindforhimtheeasiestandquietestcobintheworld，named"Tommy。"Heenjoyedtheseridesextremely，anddevisedanumberofshortroundswhichbroughthimhomeintimeforlunch。Ourcountryisgoodforthispurpose，owingtothenumberofsmallvalleyswhichgiveavarietytowhatinaflatcountrywouldbeadullloopofroad。Hewasnot，Ithink，naturallyfondofhorses，norhadheahighopinionoftheirintelligence，andTommywasoftenlaughedatforthealarmheshowedatpassingandrepassingthesameheapofhedge—clippingsashewentroundthefield。I
thinkheusedtofeelsurprisedathimself，whenherememberedhowboldariderhehadbeen，andhowutterlyoldageandbadhealthhadtakenawayhisnerve。Hewouldsaythatridingpreventedhimthinkingmuchmoreeffectuallythanwalking——thathavingtoattendtothehorsegavehimoccupationsufficienttopreventanyreallyhardthinking。Andthechangeofscenewhichitgavehimwasgoodforspiritsandhealth。
Unluckily，TommyonedayfellheavilywithhimonKestoncommon。This，andanaccidentwithanotherhorse，upsethisnerves，andhewasadvisedtogiveupriding。
IfIgobeyondmyownexperience，andrecallwhatIhaveheardhimsayofhisloveforsport，etc。，Icanthinkofagooddeal，butmuchofitwouldbearepetitionofwhatiscontainedinhis’Recollections。’Atschoolhewasfondofbat—fives，andthiswastheonlygameatwhichhewasskilful。
Hewasfondofhisgunasquiteaboy，andbecameagoodshot;heusedtotellhowinSouthAmericahekilledtwenty—threesnipeintwenty—fourshots。IntellingthestoryhewascarefultoaddthathethoughttheywerenotquitesowildasEnglishsnipe。
LuncheonatDowncameafterhismiddaywalk;andhereImaysayawordortwoabouthismealsgenerally。Hehadaboy—likeloveofsweets，unluckilyforhimself，sincehewasconstantlyforbiddentotakethem。Hewasnotparticularlysuccessfulinkeepingthe"vows，"ashecalledthem，whichhemadeagainsteatingsweets，andneverconsideredthembindingunlesshemadethemaloud。
Hedrankverylittlewine，butenjoyed，andwasrevivedby，thelittlehediddrink。Hehadahorrorofdrinking，andconstantlywarnedhisboysthatanyonemightbeledintodrinkingtoomuch。Iremember，inmyinnocenceasasmallboy，askinghimifhehadbeenevertipsy;andheansweredverygravelythathewasashamedtosayhehadoncedrunktoomuchatCambridge。Iwasmuchimpressed，sothatIknownowtheplacewherethequestionwasasked。
Afterhislunch，hereadthenewspaper，lyingonthesofainthedrawing—
room。Ithinkthepaperwastheonlynon—scientificmatterwhichhereadtohimself。Everythingelse，novels，travels，history，wasreadaloudtohim。Hetooksowideaninterestinlife，thattherewasmuchtooccupyhiminnewspapers，thoughhelaughedatthewordinessofthedebates;
readingthem，Ithink，onlyinabstract。Hisinterestinpoliticswasconsiderable，buthisopiniononthesematterswasformedratherbythewaythanwithanyseriousamountofthought。
Afterhereadhispaper，camehistimeforwritingletters。These，aswellastheMS。ofhisbooks，werewrittenbyhimashesatinahugehorse—hairchairbythefire，hispapersupportedonaboardrestingonthearmsofthechair。Whenhehadmanyorlongletterstowrite，hewoulddictatethemfromaroughcopy;theseroughcopieswerewrittenonthebacksofmanuscriptorofproof—sheets，andwerealmostillegible，sometimeseventohimself。HemadearuleofkeepingALLlettersthathereceived;thiswasahabitwhichhelearntfromhisfather，andwhichhesaidhadbeenofgreatusetohim。
Hereceivedmanylettersfromfoolish，unscrupulouspeople，andallofthesereceivedreplies。Heusedtosaythatifhedidnotanswerthem，hehaditonhisconscienceafterwards，andnodoubtitwasingreatmeasurethecourtesywithwhichheansweredeveryone，whichproducedtheuniversalandwidespreadsenseofhiskindnessofnature，whichwassoevidentonhisdeath。
Hewasconsideratetohiscorrespondentsinotherandlesserthings，forinstancewhendictatingalettertoaforeignerhehardlyeverfailedtosaytome，"You’dbettertryandwritewell，asit’stoaforeigner。"Hislettersweregenerallywrittenontheassumptionthattheywouldbecarelesslyread;thus，whenhewasdictating，hewascarefultotellmetomakeanimportantclausebeginwithanobviousparagraph"tocatchhiseye，"asheoftensaid。Howmuchhethoughtofthetroublehegaveothersbyaskingquestions，willbewellenoughshownbyhisletters。Itisdifficulttosayanythingaboutthegeneraltoneofhisletters，theywillspeakforthemselves。Theunvaryingcourtesyofthemisverystriking。I
hadaproofofthisqualityinthefeelingwithwhichMr。Hacon，hissolicitor，regardedhim。Hehadneverseenmyfather，yethadasincerefeelingoffriendshipforhim，andspokeespeciallyofhislettersasbeingsuchasamanseldomreceivesinthewayofbusiness:——"EverythingIdidwasright，andeverythingwasprofuselythankedfor。"
Hehadaprintedformtobeusedinreplyingtotroublesomecorrespondents，buthehardlyeverusedit;Isupposeheneverfoundanoccasionthatseemedexactlysuitable。Irememberanoccasiononwhichitmighthavebeenusedwithadvantage。HereceivedaletterfromastrangerstatingthatthewriterhadundertakentoupholdEvolutionatadebatingsociety，andthatbeingabusyyoungman，withouttimeforreading，hewishedtohaveasketchofmyfather’sviews。Eventhiswonderfulyoungmangotacivilanswer，thoughIthinkhedidnotgetmuchmaterialforhisspeech。
Hisrulewastothankthedonorsofbooks，butnotofpamphlets。Hesometimesexpressedsurprisethatsofewpeoplethankedhimforhisbookswhichhegaveawayliberally;thelettersthathedidreceivegavehimmuchpleasure，becausehehabituallyformedsohumbleanestimateofthevalueofallhisworks，thathewasgenerallysurprisedattheinterestwhichtheyexcited。
Inmoneyandbusinessmattershewasremarkablycarefulandexact。Hekeptaccountswithgreatcare，classifyingthem，andbalancingattheendoftheyearlikeamerchant。Irememberthequickwayinwhichhewouldreachoutforhisaccount—booktoentereachchequepaid，asthoughhewereinahurrytogetitenteredbeforehehadforgottenit。Hisfathermusthaveallowedhimtobelievethathewouldbepoorerthanhereallywas，forsomeofthedifficultyexperiencedinfindingahouseinthecountrymusthavearisenfromthemodestsumhefeltpreparedtogive。Yetheknew，ofcourse，thathewouldbeineasycircumstances，forinhis’Recollections’
hementionsthisasoneofthereasonsforhisnothavingworkedatmedicinewithsomuchzealashewouldhavedoneifhehadbeenobligedtogainhisliving。
Hehadapeteconomyinpaper，butitwasratherahobbythanarealeconomy。Alltheblanksheetsoflettersreceivedwerekeptinaportfoliotobeusedinmakingnotes;itwashisrespectforpaperthatmadehimwritesomuchonthebacksofhisoldMS。，andinthisway，unfortunately，hedestroyedlargepartsoftheoriginalMS。ofhisbooks。Hisfeelingaboutpaperextendedtowastepaper，andheobjected，halfinfun，tothecarelesscustomofthrowingaspillintothefireafterithadbeenusedforlightingacandle。
Myfatherwaswonderfullyliberalandgeneroustoallhischildreninthematterofmoney，andIhavespecialcausetorememberhiskindnesswhenI
thinkofthewayinwhichhepaidsomeCambridgedebtsofmine——makingitalmostseemavirtueinmetohavetoldhimofthem。Inhislateryearshehadthekindandgenerousplanofdividinghissurplusattheyear’sendamonghischildren。
Hehadagreatrespectforpurebusinesscapacity，andoftenspokewithadmirationofarelativewhohaddoubledhisfortune。AndofhimselfwouldoftensayinfunthatwhathereallyWASproudofwasthemoneyhehadsaved。Healsofeltsatisfactioninthemoneyhemadebyhisbooks。Hisanxietytosavecameinagreatmeasurefromhisfearsthathischildrenwouldnothavehealthenoughtoearntheirownlivings，aforebodingwhichfairlyhauntedhimformanyyears。AndIhaveadimrecollectionofhissaying，"ThankGod，you’llhavebreadandcheese，"whenIwassoyoungthatIwasratherinclinedtotakeitliterally。
Whenletterswerefinished，aboutthreeintheafternoon，herestedinhisbedroom，lyingonthesofaandsmokingacigarette，andlisteningtoanovelorotherbooknotscientific。Heonlysmokedwhenresting，whereassnuffwasastimulant，andwastakenduringworkinghours。Hetooksnuffformanyyearsofhislife，havinglearntthehabitatEdinburghasastudent。Hehadanicesilversnuff—boxgivenhimbyMrs。WedgwoodofMaer，whichhevaluedmuch——butherarelycarriedit，becauseittemptedhimtotaketoomanypinches。Inoneofhisearlylettershespeaksofhavinggivenupsnuffforamonth，anddescribeshimselfasfeeling"mostlethargic，stupid，andmelancholy。"Ourformerneighbourandclergyman，Mr。BrodieInnes，tellsmethatatonetimemyfathermadearesolvenottotakesnuffexceptawayfromhome，"amostsatisfactoryarrangementforme，"
headds，"asIkeptaboxinmystudytowhichtherewasaccessfromthegardenwithoutsummoningservants，andIhadmorefrequently，thanmighthavebeenotherwisethecase，theprivilegeofafewminutes’conversationwithmydearfriend。"Hegenerallytooksnufffromajaronthehalltable，becausehavingtogothisdistanceforapinchwasaslightcheck;
theclinkofthelidofthesnuffjarwasaveryfamiliarsound。Sometimeswhenhewasinthedrawing—room，itwouldoccurtohimthatthestudyfiremustbeburninglow，andwhensomeofusofferedtoseeafterit，itwouldturnoutthathealsowishedtogetapinchofsnuff。
Smokingheonlytooktopermanentlyoflateyears，thoughonhisPampasrideshelearnedtosmokewiththeGauchos，andIhaveheardhimspeakofthegreatcomfortofacupofmateandacigarettewhenhehaltedafteralongrideandwasunabletogetfoodforsometime。
Thereadingaloudoftensenthimtosleep，andheusedtoregretlosingpartsofanovel，formymotherwentsteadilyonlestthecessationofthesoundmightwakehim。Hecamedownatfouro’clocktodressforhiswalk，andhewassoregularthatonemightbequitecertainitwaswithinafewminutesoffourwhenhisdescendingstepswereheard。
>Fromabouthalf—pastfourtohalf—pastfiveheworked;thenhecametothedrawing—room，andwasidletillitwastime（aboutsix）togoupforanotherrestwithnovel—readingandacigarette。
Latterlyhegaveuplatedinner，andhadasimpleteaathalf—pastseven（whilewehaddinner），withaneggorasmallpieceofmeat。Afterdinnerheneverstayedintheroom，andusedtoapologisebysayinghewasanoldwoman，whomustbeallowedtoleavewiththeladies。Thiswasoneofthemanysignsandresultsofhisconstantweaknessandill—health。Halfanhourmoreorlessconversationwouldmaketohimthedifferenceofasleeplessnight，andofthelossperhapsofhalfthenextday’swork。
Afterdinnerheplayedbackgammonwithmymother，twogamesbeingplayedeverynight;formanyyearsascoreofthegameswhicheachwonwaskept，andinthisscorehetookthegreatestinterest。Hebecameextremelyanimatedoverthesegames，bitterlylamentinghisbadluckandexplodingwithexaggeratedmock—angeratmymother’sgoodfortune。
Afterbackgammonhereadsomescientificbooktohimself，eitherinthedrawing—room，or，ifmuchtalkingwasgoingon，inthestudy。
Intheevening，thatis，afterhehadreadasmuchashisstrengthwouldallow，andbeforethereadingaloudbegan，hewouldoftenlieonthesofaandlistentomymotherplayingthepiano。Hehadnotagoodear，yetinspiteofthishehadatrueloveoffinemusic。Heusedtolamentthathisenjoymentofmusichadbecomedulledwithage，yetwithinmyrecollection，hisloveofagoodtunewasstrong。Ineverheardhimhummorethanonetune，theWelshsong"Arhydynos，"whichhewentthroughcorrectly;heusedalso，Ibelieve，tohumalittleOtaheitansong。Fromhiswantofearhewasunabletorecognizeatunewhenhehearditagain，butheremainedconstanttowhatheliked，andwouldoftensay，whenanoldfavouritewasplayed，"That’safinething;whatisit？"HelikedespeciallypartsofBeethoven’ssymphonies，andbitsofHandel。Hemadealittlelistofallthepieceswhichheespeciallylikedamongthosewhichmymotherplayed——